Environmental Farm Plan
Our Food. Our Farms. Our Future
Environmental farm planning aids in Manitoba's reputation of producing safe, high quality food in a sustainable manner while leaving a legacy for future generations.
What is the EFP?
How to get an EFP on your farm
Register for an EFP Workshop!
During the Workshop, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development facilitators and resource specialists guide producers through the EFP workbook to assess their land, their management and address the associated risks. There is a large emphasis on Agriculture Capability and the correlation between soil limitations and environmental risks (leaching, runoff, soil degradation).
Workbook
The EFP workbook is available to producers who attend an EFP workshop. The workbook covers all aspects of a farming operation, including farmyards, livestock facilities and management of crop and pasture lands. Completion of the workbook allows for a complete assessment of the farm operation and development of a customized action plan. Workbooks are made available for all producers who register for a virtual EFP workshop.
"Farmers are concerned about the environment and keeping it for future generations, but when you go through the workbook, you suddenly realize you could do this differently."
Lorne Rossnagel, cattle and forage producer, Plumas, MB
Workbook Review
KAP has hired reviewers who conduct the review portion of the EFP process to maintain confidentiality and to evaluate farmers' EFPs in an unbiased manner. Workbooks should be reviewed by one of the KAP reviewers within one year of completing the EFP workshop. Contact KAP directly at 204-697-1140 or kap@kap.ca to schedule a review.
Statement of Completion
After a KAP reviewer has reviewed your EFP workbook to ensure its completeness, KAP will issue a Statement of Completion (SOC) certificate indicating you completed the EFP process.
Over time, farms and management practices change and plans require updating to remain reflective of the current operation. A Statement of Completion is valid for five years in Manitoba. Upon expiry, the EFP process is to be renewed.
EFP Farm Gate Signs
Why is an EFP important?
Canada has long relied solely on our reputation as a clean, safe place to produce food. However, consumers' demand for agricultural products to be sustainably sourced continues to increase.
Contact your local Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development office for more information. By implementing an Environmental Farm Plan, producers are able to:
- improve air, water and soil quality
- conserve biodiversity on Manitoba farmland
- contribute to environmental protection and conservation
- Make Manitoba-grown commodities more marketable to environmentally-conscious consumers around the world
- demonstrate due diligence by identifying environmental assets and risks on their farm and implementing actions to reduce those risks
"On our farm, it was a great success. It made us feel part of the solution."
Henry Holtmann, dairy farmer, Rosser, MB
"I discovered that relocating my livestock and improving their wintering site could cut back on the cost of fuel, feed and cleaning, and benefit the health of my cattle as well."
Gary Hamm, cattle producer, Morden, MB
Linkages to the EFP
Beneficial Management Practices
Ag Action Manitoba - Assurance: Beneficial Management Practices provides funding that will help farmers and select industry service providers implement beneficial management practices on their operations and help improve the value and health of agricultural land in Manitoba.
Ag Action Manitoba - Assurance: Watershed Ecological Goods and Services provides funding to conservation districts to work with farmers to implement practices that conserve and enhance ecological goods and services (EGS) on the agricultural landscape.
Ag Action Manitoba - Assurance: Agriculture Crown Land Forage Productivity (ACLFP) Pilot Program enables ACL forage lease holders to increase forage productivity and sustainability through the adoption of beneficial management practices that support comprehensive forage management on their crown land forage leases.
Sustainable Sourcing
Sustainable sourcing refers to the use of environmental and social criteria in purchasing decisions, alongside traditional criteria of price and quality. The EFP can serve to fulfill the Environmental pillar of Sustainable Sourcing requirements.
"People, Planet, Profit" - Wilton Group, ON
Market Requirements
National Alignment
Across Canada, the EFP is offered in all provinces and the Yukon Territory. The exact content of the EFP differs slightly from region to region. These discrepancies can be cumbersome for buyers who are sourcing products from multiple Canadian regions.
The National Environmental Farm Plan(NEFP) builds upon the existing and historic EFP program, which has widespread support from producers and industry, to develop a whole-farm sustainable sourcing program for Canada. By building a national, consistent standard and defining a baseline of content in each of the regional EFPs across Canada, the NEFP will reduce confusion regarding equivalency between provinces and will also reduce burden on producers in needing to complete multiple programs that aim to achieve the same goal.
- Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform)
The NEFP has decided upon alignment with the SAI-FSA V2.0. Once the EFPs are aligned, completion of the regional EFP programs will allow a minimum of FSA Bronze certification for farm managers.
Since 2004, over 7,500 producers have participated and completed an EFP in Manitoba, assessing 10.5 million acres of agricultural land under this program.
For more information, contact your local Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development Office.